Awnings



Dec. 13, 1955 R. DEGAETANO ETAL AWNINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 9, 1951 INVENTORS M 9 M BY fiwz m M h ATTORNEYS Dec. 13, 1955 DEGAETANO ETAL 2,726,425

AWNINGS Filed Jan. 9, 1951 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j if if if a f 49 1 INVENTORS M 9 M 77M Juni BY cm W 7min ATTORNEYS United States Patent AWNINGS Ralph Degaetano and Manuel M. Fernandez, Tampa, Fla.; said Fernandez assignor to said Degaetano Application January 9, 1951, Serial No. 205,129

3 Claims. (Cl. 2057.5)

This invention relates to awnings and more particularly to awnings constructed of rigid or semi-rigid materials such as sheet metal, plastic, or the like, and suitable for permanent installation.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a novel and improved awning of the class described which is sturdy and durable, ornamental in appearance, and constructed and arranged to withstand high winds, even those of hurricane force.

The invention in its preferred embodiment, contemplates the provision of a permanently installed awning of rigid construction, in which alternate louver sections are removable, the removable sections being slidably interlocked at the edges with the permanent portions of the awning and having clips thereon which are adapted to be bent or snapped over a framing element of the structure to retain the movable sections in applied position. When the slidable louvers are removed, the skeleton awning structure remaining presents less surface to the wind and thus precludes damage to the installation.

The removal of the slidable louver sections requires no tools or any particular mechanical skill, and may be accomplished with a minimum of effort.

Another advantage of the removable slat or louver construction lies in the facility with which the awning can be painted. As a rule, portions of striped awnings have to be masked during the painting of adjacent portions of a different color. In the case of the awnings embodying the principles of the present invention, no masking is required. The removable louvers may be slid out of the assembly, the basic portion or permanent section painted one color, the removable louver sections painted another color, and the awning re-assembled when the paint in dry.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of an awning constructed in accordance with the invention, one of the lou vers being removed in order to better disclose the cooperating interlocking portions of the permanent or basic structure;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken in a plane at right angles to the plane of junction of the awning with the building to which it is attached;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale showing the underside of an end of one of the removable louver sections and indicating the snap hook by which it is retained in place when applied to the permanent framework of the awning.

' In the drawings the novel awning assembly is indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10, the assembly comprising an upper slopingroof portion 11 of generally corrugated construction and approximately triangular end wall or panel designated generally by the reference numeral 12.

The covering material of the awning assembly may be made of sheet aluminum or other sheet metal or plastic of fairly thin gauge and the framing or bracing structure is preferably made of angle and channel pieces of either the same gauge as the covering sheets or of slightly thicker gauge.

Such framing structure preferably comprises an upper bracing framework including the upwardly and rearwardly disposed channel member 15 having the upper and lower flanges 16 and 17 and a substantially vertical web 18. Bolts may be passed through openings in the web 18 by means of which the installation may be secured to the wall of a building or the like. Extending forwardly and downwardly from the channel 15 upon each side of the awning are the angle pieces or bars 20 having their vertical flanges 21 riveted to the upper portions of the corrugated side wall sheeting 12 as at 22 and having horizontal flanges 23 extending inwardly from the side or end walls. An extension of the flange 23 is bent upwardly at the rear end of the strip as at 24 and secured as by means of rivets 25 to the web 18 of the channel member 15.

It will be noted from an inspection of Figures 1 and 2 that the forward end of the roof portion of the awning inclines downwardly in two successive angular positions, and to accommodate itself to this inclination the forward portion of the angle member or bar 20 is also bent downwardly, the flange 21 being cut away as at 26 to permit such bending.

Adjacent the first bend or inclination in the roof portion 11 there is disposed the winged channel member 30. The web of this channel member 30 is riveted as at 31 to the flange 23 of the angles or bars 20 and the winged flanges 32 of the channel are riveted as at 34 to the roof portion 11 of the awning.

A lower bracing framework is disposed adjacent the fringe portion of the awning and comprises the side angle strips or side bars 35 having their vertical flanges riveted or otherwise secured as at 36 to the corrugated side walls 12 of the awning, and a forwardly disposed angle strip or bar 38 riveted as at 39 to the permanent roofing structure of the awning.

The side or end walls 12 of the awning assembly are preferably provided with the saw-tooth corrugations 40 illustrated very clearly in Figures 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings, and the upper portions of these corrugations are sloped as at 41 to bring the upper edge of the side walls 12 beneath the overhanging eaves 42 of the end ones of the fixed louver sections 45 of the roof portion. These fixed end strips or louvers 45 are provided with sloping intermediate sections 46 and substantially vertical end or fringe sections 47 and the eaves flanges 42 are similarly inclined as indicated at 48 and 49.

The inwardly disposed edges of the end sections 45 are flanged to provide upwardly and angularly inclined edge portions adapted to cooperate and interlock with certain removable louver sections which will be described presently. Along the major portion of the inward edge of the section 45 the edge flange 50 is doubled or bent back upon itself to provide a hook-like construction, while the corresponding edge flanges 51 and 52 on the inclined forward portions of member 45 are of a single thickness and directed upwardly, preferably at an acute angle with the plane of the corresponding portions of the fixed member 45.

Between the end sections 45 of the fixed portion of the awning there are disposed a number of spaced fixed sections or louvers corresponding in general configuraf tion with the end sections 45 but modified to provide interlocking flanges along both of their edges. These fixed Patented Dec. 13, 1955',

intermediate sections are designated by the reference numerals 55' and the number of such sections, of course, will depend upon the width of the awning. Both side edges of the fixed intermediate strips or louvers 55 are provided with doubled flanges and the sloping portions of these parts are provided with single-thickness flanges 51 and 52 of exactly the same construction as the corresponding flanges of the end members 45.

Bridging the gaps between the fixed members 45 and 55 are the removable louver sections, each of the removable sections conforming generally to the configuration of the roof and having sloping forward portions 61 and 62 corresponding to the sloping port ons 46 and 47 of the fixed end louvers 45. The main portions of removable members 6% are provided with downwardly inclined doubled or return-bent marginal flanges 65 which are adapted to cover and to be interlocked with the corresponding double-bent flanges 50 of the fixed elements 45 and 55. It will be readily understood that the ends of the hook flanges of the removable elements 60 have their ultimate flanges inserted within the hooked portion of the flanges 50 of the two adjacent fixed members of the awning structure and then the removable louver sections 60 are slid into place as indicated in Figure 1, whereupon the sloping single-thickness flanges 66 and 67 embrace the cooperating flanges 51 and 52 of the fixed louvers and form a substantially weather-tight joint.

In order to secure the removable flanges 60 in their applied position, hooks or-clips 70 are provided, one flange of each of these hooks being riveted as at 71 to the substantially vertical portions 62 of the members 60 and the horizontal flange being formed with a curved hook end 74 adapted to be snapped or bent around the edge of the horizontal flange 75 of the angle piece comprising the front bar 38 of the framing structure.

When the removable sections 60 are in applied position their upper rearward ends are snugly disposed beneath the flange 16 of the framing angle 15 and this flange 16 provides eflicient flashing for the awning roof portion at the edge where it joins the building.

It will be seen that by the present invention, a novel and improved awning structure has been provided whereby interlocking removable panel or louver sections are separately formed; and when they are removed from the assembly there remains a skeleton structure which presents less surface to the wind and is adapted to withstand great wind pressure. In localities where hurricanes are prevalent, the storm warnings are always issued sufficiently in advance of the storm to permit the removal of the awning louvers before the hurricane strikes.

Also, painting of the awning in various colors in the conventional striped design is facilitated since the removable louvers 60 may be painted one color while detached from the general assembly and the fixed or permanent portions of the awning painted another color.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiments illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An awning of the class described comprising, in combination, a corrugated roof portion and a supporting frame for said roof portion comprising a channel member having its web disposed vertically and adapted to be secured to the wall of the building to which the awning is applied and the substantially horizontally extending flanges of the channel member embracing the rear edge of the corrugated roof portion, said roof portion being divided into longitudinally extending sections, means fixedly securing certain sections of said corrugated roof portion to said channel member, bars extending forwardly from said channel member, a forwardly disposed channel member connecting the forward ends of said bars, means for permanently and fixedly securing said fixed sections of the roof portion to said second named forward channel member, the forward edge of said roof portion being projected downwardly to form a fringe portion, corrugated end walls for said awning, and downwardly turned eaves flanges at the side margins of the roof section embracing the upper edges of said end walls, bracing bars extending along the lower parts of said end walls and a front bar connecting the forward ends of said bracing bars behind the fringe portion of the awning, alternate longitudinal sections of said roof portion having their side margins slidably interlocked with the margins of the fixed remaining sections of the roof portion for removal by longitudinal sliding movement relative to said remaining sections, and mutually cooperating resilient catch means and catch engagement portions on the fringe portion of said removable strips and said front bar, for snap engagement and retention of said strips in applied position.

2. An awning of the class described comprising, in combination, a basic fixed portion including a supporting frame comprising side bars and a transverse front bar, and a fixed roof portion having a forward downwardly projected fringe or edge portion adjacent said front bar; said roof portion having a series of spaced openings therein; and a plurality of removable louvers each covering one of said openings and means slidably interlocking each of said louvers with the fixed roof portions adjacent the margins of the opening, said means being the sole means for connecting said louvers with said fixed roof portion; each of the sliding louvers being provided with forward downwardly projected portions corresponding to the forward fringe portion of the fixed roof portion, and catch hooks on said forward portions of each of said removable louver sections adapted to releasably engage with said front bar in order to retain said removable louver sections in applied position, said hooks being the sole means for connecting said louvers with said fixed supporting frame and the sole locking means for preventing sliding withdrawal of said louvers.

3. An awning of the class described comprising: a permanently assembled and supported part which includes a supporting frame portion comprising side bars and a transverse substantially horizontal front bar, and a roof portion comprising a series of spaced parallel fixed louver sections having elongated openings therebetween, said openings when uncovered affording direct passage of sunlight and air therethrough; removable parts adapted to be temporarily applied to and readily detached from said permanently assembled and supported part upon occasion, said removable parts comprising other louver sections each adapted to cover one of said openings; the louver sections thus being arranged in two series, the first-named louver sections alternating with the secondnamed sections, the alternate sections being disposed in separate substantially vertically spaced planes, the edges of the sections in the upper plane provided with flanges bent downwardly toward the other plane and doubled into hook form, and the edges of the sections in the lower plane provided with upwardly bent cooperating hooked flanges interlocked with the adjacent flanges of the other series of the alternate sections comprising the secondnamed removable sections being slidable lengthwise with respect to the first-named permanently fixed sections to remove them from the awning assembly; the forward edges of both the permanently fixed louver sections and the slidably removable louver sections being projected downwardly to form a fringe portion for the awning, snap engagement connections securing the downwardly projected fringe portion of said removable louver sections to said front bar for ready removal of said last named louver sections in case of emergency; the adjoining edges of the fringe forming portions of the respective fixed and removable louver sections being overlapped but free from interlocking connections which would prevent separation of said removable louver sections in a generally forward direction upon release of said snap engagement 6 Freeman Feb. 20, 1951 Hunter Apr. 17, 1951 Rogers et al. Sept. 25, 1951 Markle Feb. 12, 1952 Kersey Mar. 4, 1952 Graham May 20, 1952 Kramer et al. Sept. 30, 1952 

